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Scott talks with Trita Parsi about an op-ed he wrote in the New York Times on the Saudi-Iranian agreement to reestablish diplomatic ties. Although the agreement does not mark an end to the rivalry between the two governments, it did establish a way to manage that rivalry with words. Also, the talks were brokered by the Chinese government. Parsi explains why this is a big deal. They also talk about the news that the Saudis agreed to resume ties with Syria in talks brokered by Russia. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The U.S. Is Not an Indispensable Peacemaker” (New York Times)
• “Saudi Arabia, Syria Close to Resuming Ties in Russia-Brokered Talks” (Wall Street Journal)

Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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Eric Margolis, an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist, discusses the world danger spots in 2014; the risk of nuclear war between India and Pakistan over disputed Kashmir; US efforts to oust Hamid Karzai by rigging the Afghan election; and the NIE that warns against US troops leaving Afghanistan.

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Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses why U.S. foreign policy is a shambles; the temptations to reenter Iraq to fight Al Qaeda in Fallujah; Obama’s flip-flopping on Syria; and how the Camp David Accords effect US relations with Egypt.

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Bruce Schneier, an internationally renowned security technologist, discusses how the NSA threatens national security; breaking the “trust of the internet;” and how to push back against the NSA using technical and legal means.

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Philip Weiss, founder and co-editor of Mondoweiss.net, discusses John Kerry’s sincere but failed attempt to broker an Israel-Palestine deal; why Israel is making more demands and offering fewer concessions than ever before; and the Kirk-Menendez-Schumer “Wag the Dog Act” of 2014.

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Michael Maharrey, the Communications Director for the Tenth Amendment Center, discusses why the 4th Amendment Protection Act is an important first step to stopping NSA spying; nullifying federal laws with state and local-level legislation; and why the primary focus of “national security” should be protecting the Constitution.

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Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses the manslaughter-murder trial of Fullerton, CA police officers who brutally beat Kelly Thomas to death in 2011; Dr. Steven Karch’s testimony that “excited delirium” killed Thomas, not the cops; the prosecutor’s surprising declaration that victims of unlawful police violence have the right to resist; and the growing number of Americans fed up with above-the-law cops.

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Patrick Cockburn, a journalist with The Independent, discusses Al Qaeda’s takeover of Fallujah and Ramadi in Iraq’s Sunni-dominated Anbar province; the Syrian war’s spillover into Lebanon; and Saudi support for Sunni jihadist groups.

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Independent historian and investigative journalist Gareth Porter discusses Al Qaeda’s gains in Iraq’s Anbar province and Israel’s policies on Iran and the Syrian conflict.

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